Wednesday Night Open Thread

Another Republican debate? I'm not watching. Better Fare: Survivor, The X-Factor, Harry's Law, Restaurant Impossible or even America's Next Top Model.

Human Rights Watch has a new report on abuses by Mexican police and military in the war on drugs. Shorter version: Mexico's war on drugs is a failure that only serves to increase the violence and fear:

Mexico’s military and police have committed widespread human rights violations in efforts to combat organized crime, virtually none of which are being adequately investigated, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

[More...]

The 212-page report “Neither Rights Nor Security: Killings, Torture, and Disappearances in Mexico’s ‘War on Drugs,’” examines the human rights consequences of President Felipe Calderón’s approach to confronting Mexico’s powerful drug cartels. Through in-depth research in five of Mexico’s most violent states, Human Rights Watch found evidence that strongly suggests the participation of security forces in more than 170 cases of torture, 39 “disappearances,” and 24 extrajudicial killings since Calderón took office in December 2006.

Instead of reducing violence, Mexico’s ‘war on drugs’ has resulted in a dramatic increase in killings, torture, and other appalling abuses by security forces, which only make the climate of lawlessness and fear worse in many parts of the country.

Among those at fault:

Human Rights Watch found that a wide array of justice officials are implicated in human rights violations. They include judges who admit evidence that was likely to have been obtained through torture, prosecutors who obtain “confessions” from defendants who are being held incommunicado on military bases, and medical experts who omit or play down signs of physical injuries when they examine detainees.

In other news, a federal audit of the Secure Border Initiative's plans to build a $1.5 billion fence along the southern border gives the project poor reviews. Not only is the cost uncertain, there's no evidence it will work.

The report, produced by the Government Accountability Office, says the DHS’ Customs and Border Protection, the agency tasked with implementing the plan, “has not yet demonstrated the effectiveness and suitability of its new approach for deploying surveillance technology in Arizona.”

in a statement today on OccupyOakland again called for the immediate removal of the Occupy Oakland encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza, saying:

We know that a tiny minority thinks it is a sound strategy to pit our Police against demonstrators. We call on everyone to reject provocation of violence.

This has been a test of leadership and a test of conscience. Oakland is a city of hope and opportunity. We are the 99%.

She is getting better at projecting, it seems.

But if she is going to start claiming that she is part of the 99% she should get out of her office, buy a tent, move into Frank Ogawa Plaza, stop spewing self defeating nonsense, and tell her police to leave the people of Oakland alone, before she finds her police joining Occupy Oakland.

Oakland's economy, like the entire US and global economies, cannot sustain occupation by the 1%. Nor can your political future, Jean.

reporting much the same objections to Occupy Portland as Oakland has expressed in that article. All the same talk about damage to parks, public urination and defecation, the public's fear of the protestors. And, of course, the local business community steps up to demand the end of the Occupiers.

Our mayor's statements, the statements from business groups, the statements from other city council members, they are almost word for word what people in Oakland are saying. It's like they are coordinating among themselves. Is this happening in all other Occupy cities? Or just the ones with Democratic mayors?

with OccupySF. One 'reporter' was practically sneering about the protesters.

I have a meeting in SF tomorrow, so I'm going to swing by and hang for a bit tomorrow to see for myself what's going on there.

Was reported earlier that they cut water and lights at OccuplyOakland. And city council members were out protesting about them in a supposed press/discussion thingy. Sad how our elected officials respond to their citizens . . . .

Mayoral comments and actions have all been in concert for the last couple of weeks. I will note that most (but not all) of those mayors have been Democrats. I will further note that the actions [appear to] have been nationally coordinated.

Stroke-like symptoms, but after the C-scan it looks like no stroke -- which is good news and, well, I don't know what news. I'm kind of freaking out. My mother was young when she had me as a college student in the mid 60's. We had a very hard time for a long time, lived on welfare and food stamps for awhile in L.A., she's had five husbands, a lot of stuff, and we haven't really had a mother/son relationship of any traditional sort until very recently -- it's been in the last few years that "I love you" has comfortably slipped from our lips to each other. Waiting for a call when they get her into a room. It looks like she'll be okay, but she was supposed to come up to the bay area this weekend for my son's first concert with the Peninsula Youth Orchestra. I know she was excited to see him play his trombone. My father is twenty-plus years older than she is, it never occurred to me I'd be feeling this fear about my mom before my father (who smokes like a chimney, never been an exercise guy, etc.). But life will do that to you. Phucking life. I want her to be a grandmother to my son for a long time to come. I'm rambling like a nitwit. Peace to everyone, send a good vibe to Southern Cal if you can.

I have no idea about the legalities of what he did or did not do, but he showed a level of moral bankruptcy that I think should disqualify him from a hero's retirement celebration after the last home game, as the protesting students want.

From the reaction of the students, it seems the moral corruption goes from top to bottom. Is this the 'benefit' of a higher echelon football program?

Looks like all the commentators so far think it was the right thing to do to dump Paterno now. Olbermann earlier also called for him to be fired immediately. They all seem to agree with me that Joe fell well short of the moral test reqd by the circumstances and his contInuing on just continued the negative attention for the school.

Some students on campus rallying for Joe along with a few homers in the local media think Joe deserves to finish out the season, but the Board finally did the right thing.

Interesting comment heard on Ed's show: that it took an awful long time for the grand jury report to be completed and made public -- conveniently right after Paterno had passed the Grambling coach to become the all-time winningest coach in college football history.

it was 46 years ago today that the Great Northeast Blackout occurred -- and how odd that it struck right at the beginning of evening rush hour.

Ran across an unusual account of that day recently (book Need to Know by Timothy Good) from a fairly well known actor, Stuart Whitman, about what he saw ... and heard from his hotel window that night. You can google it and make up your own mind. Apparently he never backed down from his story over the years. Interesting fellow. Interesting mass event. And yes that scene from the 1950s movie The Day the Earth Stood Still comes to mind.

It was a two-pronged scheme, prosecutors said. One component involved redirecting clicks on search results to sites that were controlled by the defendants. A search for "I.R.S.," for instance, would lead a user to the Web site of the tax preparer H&R Block. The sites to which users were directed would pay the swindlers a referral fee, prosecutors said. The more traffic they could redirect, the more fees they collected.

The other way the group made money, according to the indictment, was to swap legitimate online advertisements on certain Web sites with others that would generate payments for the defendants. Prosecutors said that Web sites for ESPN and The Wall Street Journal were affected -- but only when viewed on the infected computers.

Doc on how to check your computer for this specific malware on the FBI's website.

Nonetheless in this instance, the FBI is right. While a few bucks to someone in Estonia for link clicks isn't a big deal, control of the DNS server your computer goes to for a resource (doc, web page, etc.) on the internet is pretty insidious. The potential is there to expose your computer to some really malicious code. I wouldn't want the headache.

the techie stuff goes over my head...I know it's a jungle out there in cyberspace, I surf with a half a brain and hope for the best...kinda like life.

I think the worst that could happen to a user like me is your computer craps out...not the end of the world, I look at is a risk of using the internet. Tend to think the FBI would be better serving us investigating the crimes of Wall St. and Banksters instead of some Estonian computer geeks scamming nickels, but what do I know:)

An Obama critic says that Obama "thinks there are 55 states".
LOL---we all know it was 57.
The modern GOP obviously has a rigorous IQ test for its members....something like the "no one above 54 inches" signs at carnival rides.

Later, Michele Bachmann appeared and said that she and the rest of the GOP candidates all feel sorry for Perry. That's what it's come to for the Texan: Three months after jumping into the GOP race and surging to a commanding lead, he's now being pitied by Michele Bachmann.

I feel sick to my stomach.... what is wrong with the people at Penn State? The students are upset that a man that protected his friend that allegedly assaulted little children is fired. These people may have conspired to hide crimes etc and they are upset because of what ... friggin' football? Power? What? This just seems a typical example of the 1% preying on the vulnerable and people are so warped, (this is so sick) they are chanting to keep this guy and cheering and singing their alma mater etc.

I think any coach running a major program as long-running as Paterno's (and until now, as clean) would produce this kind of reaction. Plus if you've watched college football at all in the past 20 years, that man is lionized almost every weekend of the season by ESPN or whoever is showing the game. They'll close out the game with a hero reel not of his players, but of him.

I haven't been paying as close attention as others to what has developed, but what I read here today about Sandusky, and then in some other places today, is absolutely, 100% utterly mortifying. What it most reminds me of are the various Catholic Church scandals. You build up a powerful institution, and everyone begins thinking more about the institution than the individuals involved in it. Same applies to the organization Sandusky set up, The Second Mile, he was in trouble with similar allegations well before he left there. Just because he wasn't convicted doesn't mean he shouldn't have been ousted. The entire area seems to have taken a narcotic called Successful College Football Program. I understand that somewhat, I grew up in PA and owned plenty of Penn State stuff as a kid.

All that commentary aside though, I don't know what to say. I can't remember the last time I reacted with such horror to a news story. It's horrible that Sandusky got away with it at all, but for so long, and seemingly so openly. I feel for those kids whose rage isn't targeted at just one person but rather an entire complex that was willing to sacrifice them for what, in the daylight, ultimately matters to no one.

College football already destroys lives.
Look at the failure rates, and then how many people have permanent, serious injuries?
Then, if the player does make it to the pros,
he can look forward to dying 20 years earlier than the national average, though he might be spared some of the agony by early dementia.
Modern American football does to young men what bullfighting does to bulls. It is thoroughly disgusting.

There is no free will without correct information.
The young person who loves football does not know what harm the sport can do to him.
Football players are so unnaturally large now, compared to past years, that there is no way to play safely in the college or professional leagues.
The fact you take pleasure watching people literally turn their brains into jello really gives me pause.
Do you like boxing too?
Do you enjoy watching Ali give speeches today?

accurate reader of comments on TL???
I am expressing my own personal disgust at football.
Period.
Supposing other people agreed with me, I expect that changes would be made to football rules to increase safety, if possible. Also in boxing, brain safety could actually be increased by removing the gloves. This change has actually been endorsed by the British physicians organization.

no better workout in sports than sparring a few rounds...ever tried it? How about skydiving? That sh*t can kill ya too.

Watching Ali speak today is sad, yes...but we all die, we all deteriorate. The question is do we all really live? Ali lived, mastered his art and gave joy to millions, and joy to himself. It's gotta feel pretty damn good to be champion of the world...to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. If such joy is worth shaving years off your life or risking serious injury is for each to decide for themselves. As is the choice to be a spectator.

I don't play tackle football anymore, we play in a format called rough touch. I've seen concussions, blown out knees, broken bones, f*cked up my own knee and had my bell rung, and just spent this past Sunday at the hospital with my teammate who hurt his knee...he can't wait to get his MRI to see if he will be back for the winter season. And we pay for this priveledge. Why? Because it gives us joy that make it worth the risks to our bodies.

As for the pros, I am all for reasonable improvements and rule changes to make the game safer, especially youth football...personally I think the best idea is to go back to soft helmets or no helmets like rugby, and players will cease leading with their head encased in hard plastic.

It's a question of taste, and what you value, safety or the joy of athletic competition and putting yourself to the test in a rugged physical challenge...your free to your opinion but I happen to enjoy both sports as a spectator and participant, and that doesn't make me a bull, it makes me human.

observed asked if I have seen Ali speak with his Parkinson's "today", as in recently.

It is sad, but when they talk about Ali in 100 years, it won't be remembering the broken man we see today, it will be remembering the champion of the world who beat Liston, Frazier 2 outta 3, and Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle with the rope-a-dope. The master of the sweet science.

seeing what you're made of in a test of strength, speed, skill, perserverance, and brains...and coming out on top. Pure f8ckin' joy jondee...but maybe thats just me.

And sport is a better outlet for these natural instincts than the stock market or killing each other for food, or in senseless war. No joke, I credit rough touch football and de-cleating a guy coming in my zone as part of the reason I'm such a non-violent sort...save it for the field or the ring.

watching people turn themselves into vegetables, I can't approve.
Brain injury is a HUGE problem in professional football and hockey (if not other sports).
The effects are devastating, and until recently, hardly known to the public at large.

looks like I'm finally heading up your way tommorow with mi hermana. We are visiting friends, but were also gonna head down to Wall Street at some point to check out the scene. Let me know if you still want to meet up at some point. Oculus or anyone else who hangs out in NY is welcome too!

The late great Joe Frazier was what I would call "punchy" in retirement...not mush, but not firing at optimal speed. observed is right that the NFL does take years off your life, and post-concussion syndrome can be hell. And there are those paralyzed playing the game, even killed.

Life is a gamble, and the harder you live it the shorter your odds to live to 85 unscathed. Our life is our gift to savor or squander as we wish.

Personally I think never playing football or boxing or skydiving or any other "dangerous" activity is the squandering. My cousin for example is a huge skydiving buff, she had an accident and broke her freakin' back, was in therapy for months and still deals with pain. But the second she was able, she got right back in the plane and strapped on a chute...cuz thats her passion, her life.

I can appreciate the skill involved, but it watches too much like a street brawl to me...either too boring or too gruesome for my taste. I much prefer boxing...there is a beauty to it at its best that I find MMA lacks. But it is all a question of taste...a lot of friends love the MMA.

Krav Maga. We had adopted some parts way back in the dark ages when i was in the army, or some outfits did, like the Rangers... you know, when we formed a line, wore blue coats, used muskets, and had fifes and drums...

and, oh, by the way... this high school footballer just died a few weeks ago after suffering BRAIN BLEED from an injury during the game. Numerous reports of brain damage from concussions have been coming out in recent months. High school, college and pro players.

is not obviously available to everyone. Do you think little league football coaches are explaining that a football career can lead to death at 50, after several years of dementia?
That is, if they even know. You assume too much.

The information has been out there. There has been an enormous amount of press about it in the past two years. In 2009, Congress held hearings about it. The NFL's Roger Goodell was taken to task. Sen. Tom Coburn publicly castigated then-USC safety Taylor Mays for being one of the worst offenders committing head injuries (which I didn't think was quite fair, but I've known Taylor since he was a child, so I'm somewhat biased on that).

A 2000 study surveyed 1,090 former N.F.L. players and found more than 60 percent had suffered at least one concussion in their careers and 26 percent had had three or more. Those who had had concussions reported more problems with memory, concentration, speech impediments, headaches and other neurological problems than those who had not, the survey found.

and this study:

A 2007 study conducted by the University of North Carolina's Center for the Study of Retired Athletes found that of the 595 retired N.F.L. players who recalled sustaining three or more concussions on the football field, 20.2 percent said they had been found to have depression. That is three times the rate of players who have not sustained concussions.

The information is out there, has been out there, and is a big topic for leagues, from Pee Wee on up to the NFL.

These are four different topics, one of which is on the parents, and the others are professional athletes.

Obviously kids are whole different beast then grown men. But using the death of a kid as an example for professional sports is weak.

And Ali, Michael Fox will be where he is at in several years. Not exactly scientific to say the man has take so many blows it has to had an effect.

And conclusions in the NFl in the past were not treated properly. I suspect the study helped formulate their new rules in which their condition and ability to play is determined by a 3rd party. The NFL is very pro-active in trying to diminish injuries. But sometimes, like the new kick off position doesn't work or even made it worse. But they are pro-active.

That being said, they still have a choice and using kids as examples who may not have a choice or the choice is left up to a parent is in weak.

And like smoking/drinking/eating bad, if grown a$$ adults choose to participate in activities that shorten their lives, in the good ole USA that is okay-dokay.

I hammer my liver all weekend long for free, where's the outrage, if only I could make league minimum(~$300k) in the process. Or do we need others cheering me on for it to be disgusting.

I didn't say that, didn't advocate for that, and don't believe in that. All I said was that sustained brain damage from concussions has been well-studied and talked about for years.

I happen to like watching college football. And, gee, wouldn't it be great if better equipment was devised to guard against those brain injuries where 34-year-old former football players exhibit signs of dementia?

I don't care for it. Two men bashing each other's brains in for millions of dollars while calling it "sport" is about the closest thing to barbarism I can name. Oh, BTW, I know something about boxing, as a college boyfriend taught me how to box, and schooled me in the techniques while watching the pro matches on TV. And I still think it's barbaric.

There will be those who think that, given Paterno's long tenure, he should have been given the courtesy of leaving on his terms, but by not doing more to protect the children involved, he forfeited the right to be in charge of his fate.

...or Armando weigh in on the civil litigation PSU may now be open to from the victims/victims parents.

You have to think Paterno knew enough about Sandusky in 1998 to make certain he'd never be HC.

One interesting angle - the DA who declined to prosecute Sandusky in 1999 I believe, went missing prior to his retirement a few years later...declared dead. Computer found in the river, hard drive removed/destroyed.

Ray Gricar, the district attorney who didn't file charges against Sandusky, subsequently went missing in 2005, and was declared legally dead in 2011, less than a year before he planned to retire and all his files and evidence would have been turned over to the incoming DA. His computer was found in a river with the hard drive removed. The hard drive was recovered a little further up the river and was completely destroyed

went missing as of April 15, 2005. His work laptop was found in the river in July 2005, badly water damaged but complete although missing the hard drive. The hard drive was found two months later badly damaged and police, FBI and the Secret Service were unable to retrieve data. In April 2009, investigators said that internet searches on ways to destroy computer hard drives were conducted on Ray Gricar's home computer leading up to the time of his disappearance. In March of this year, the district attorney indicated that she was reviewing the case.

a young rugby player who claims that after a stroker, he became gay.
I'm not posting this as a joke. From what I understand, personality changes after a stroke are not uncommon. That's a big change, though!

Like most men everywhere, Kazakhs like to talk about women.
They often refer to women as flowers, but the flavor of the metaphor comes from the steppes.
A young man at my gym attempted to explain this to me recently. He was saying that women are like flowers. So far, so good. Then he was saying "the flowers that horses eat" to convey something.
Hmm.. interesting. Finally I understand that he means grass. So we have flowers, and horses eating grass. It's enough to make any red-blooded man want to get married right away!